Thread: Border Patrol Arrests 2 Gang Members in California

C.B.P. News Release

Border Patrol Arrests 2 Gang Members in California

(Monday, April 05, 2010)

El Centro, Calif. – U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the El Centro Sector arrested two street gang members late last week.

The first arrest came on Thursday when agents from the El Centro station arrested a self proclaimed member of the Compton Segundo street gang. Agents confirmed his gang affiliations by his markings and tattoos. Record checks show that the man has an extensive criminal history with multiple convictions for drug violations, including sale of a controlled substance. The subject had also been previously removed from the United States.

On Friday night, Calexico Station agents arrested a man after he illegally entered the United States near the Calexico, Calif. West port of entry. Records checks revealed that the subject had been previously removed from the United States. During processing the man claimed to be an active member of the 18th Street street gang.

Both subjects are being held at the Imperial County Jail pending prosecution proceedings.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Contacts For This News Release
El Centro Sector
CBP Public Affairs
Phone: (760) 335-5798

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/new ... 2010_3.xml

One of my favorite movies was "Death Wish"...

Latino groups to release voting score card on immigration issues.
The report shows that 40% of California members of the House of Representatives with large Latino, Asian and foreign-born constituencies have not consistently supported pro-immigrant positions. Turning up the political heat for immigration reform, major Latino organizations plan to unveil today a voting score card that found that 40% of California House members with a significant number of Latino, Asian and foreign-born constituents have not consistently supported what they view as pro-immigrant positions.

Nationally, the organizations that are part of the National Latino Congreso also found that 41% of House members and 25.9% of senators with a significant number of immigrant constituents did not consistently vote in ways they favored on key bills in 2007 and 2009.

The bills included those that would have granted legal status to students, expanded immigration enforcement to social service programs, denied automatic U.S. citizenship to children of illegal immigrants and granted immigration benefits to partners of gay and lesbians.

Congreso members stopped short of urging an ouster of those members, saying the interim score card was meant to alert the public to their representatives' voting records and allow a chance for change before the November election.

"This is a giant warning signal that many in Congress and the Senate are out of step with the interests of their districts," said Antonio Gonzalez of the William C. Velasquez Institute, a public policy organization that helped compile the data.

"Either they change their behavior or the constituents will change their representatives," Gonzalez said. "That's the nature of democracy."

The 22 California House members listed as "underperforming" by the institute included Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Corona). Calvert's district, which covers parts of Riverside and south Orange counties, includes 224,000 Latinos and 31,000 Asians, with 145,455 foreign-born, according to the analysis. But he voted against the Congreso's preferred position nine out of nine times, including supporting a bill that would deny U.S. citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants.

"I have always supported the legal immigration process but during tough economic times and scarce resources my priority is to U.S. citizens and legal residents," Calvert said in a statement. "I will continue to support an enforcement-first approach to illegal immigration that ensures jobs and benefits go to Americans and legal residents."

The list of "underperforming" California House members included three Democrats.

One of them, Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice), was cited for votes to expand immigration enforcement to social service programs and to require those owning or renting publicly subsidized housing to prove their legal status. Harman's district, which covers the Westside and South Bay areas, includes 194,000 Latinos and 86,000 Asians, with 181,000 foreign-born residents, the analysis showed.

Harman was out of the country and unavailable for comment.

The score card found that congressional members in the South showed the least support for bills the Congreso favored while those from the West and Northeast showed the most.

Members of the Asian Pacific American, black, Hispanic and LGBT Equality caucuses voted most consistently in line with Congreso positions, while those from the Blue Dog Coalition, Congressional Prayer and Immigration Reform caucuses were the least supportive.

The score card is part of a broad national campaign to increase pressure on Congress to pass immigration reform legislation that would legalize the nation's 10.5 million undocumented immigrants, grant more family visas, provide temporary foreign workers where needed and step up enforcement against unauthorized immigration.

Many Latino activists are furious that the Obama administration has not pushed immigration reform despite promises to do so. Some say privately, however, that they will accept a "down payment" on reform before the November election with smaller bills to grant legal status to students or farm workers.

Without even that gesture, some Latinos have begun to consider withholding support from Democrats if they fail to push reform forward.

Thomas A. Saenz of the Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund said the 2010 census now underway is certain to show an even greater increase in Latino, Asian and foreign-born residents. Those who take positions perceived as anti-immigrant could lose political power, as occurred, he said, with California Republicans and then-Gov. Pete Wilson in the 1990s.

"We've always known failing to act on immigration reform was bad policy," he said. "This score card confirms that it's also bad politics."

teresa.watanabe@latimes.com
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